Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-07-08
AS OTHERS SEE Us.
Professor George II. Rowe Tells the
BOstOnians Few Facts Concerning
His Adopted State OF Texas.
The Atmosphere Purer, and the People Get
Nearer Heaven Than Anywhere Else
Exaggerated Snake Stories.

report OF q speech delivered in the Hub
by Texan who was formerly citizen OF
Boston;
Mr.. George q. Rowe, young Boston,
ian who has been for three years e pro-
lessor in the Baylor College for young
ladies at Bolton, Tex, lectured on the
"mOrsl, social end mercantile aspects''
of his adopted state at the Young Mems
/ Christian Association last evening. IN
/ fortunately, long winter of close crap
ping with physical phenomena and Hindu
theosophy had greatly fstigued the intel
lectual inquisitiveness OF Boston, and
when this cruelty warm weather was
added that inquisitiveness completely
Wilted. If this were not SO, surely q
large audience, instead of few dozen
/ people, would have gathered to examine
the state Of the Lone Star as revealed
I through Professor ROWe's telescope.
Professor Rowe evidently possesses in
an eminent degree the prerequisites for
transplsntationi for in three years he has
acquired the southern dialect to such
perfection that he could easily pass as to
the manor born. For instance, he says
"quorantinen for Quarantine" EAST"
for asked" and he comes perileusly
near to saying "wah." He began with
the very natural inquiry, can any good
thing come out OF Texas? lie found it
necessary to take Cogniz1nCe Of the fact
that Texas had G hard name, end he apOl-
ogized for 1t with good Texan earnest
ness, subtlety and plausibllity. He gave
convincing proof of the bigness of Texas
by placing upon q Clesn-cut map Of the
state similar maps of the states
Of New York and Pennsylvania
and Of the whole of New
England, Then ne dropped by their side
q map "a the CoTin9nWealth of Massa-
Chusetts, AID still there was margin
enough left for profit. There was q
COW pasture there, he said, as big as poo
little Rhode Island. Among the physical
characteristics of the state he had no
ticed, in the sides Of railroad cuts, soil
that shaded deliCateiy from light pink
into bright crimson. When it Ta ned
there it was wet and whenjit didn't it was
dry. With much enthusiasm the profess
sOr celebrated the skill of the cowboy in
the management of his steers In a CON-
petitive contest, which the professor wit
nes5ed,a cowboy roped his steer-thst is,
lassoeG him-thTeW him and tied mis- feet
together in tifty-siX seconds by g stop
watch.
Cotton, wheat, corn and cattle flourish
ed in Texas, but there was little fruit.
The reason was, said the Professor, that
the Texans regarded Embarrassing as
wretchedly small business. But Texas
was not al corn and cotton from March
and during spring end summer, she fair
ly clothed herself IN garment of roses.
There was also the charm of peculiar
transparency In the air, which brought
the Texan nearer heaven than New
England folk; at any rate, the trans
parenCy seemed to bring the moon and
the stars nearer to him, and so he saw
much more moonshining and many more
stars.
The people of Texas, continued the
Professor, would be healthy ifjthey would
take care of themselves. The diseases
most prevalent were mild types OF fevers
Intermittent and remittent and malaria.
In some parts of the state the latter was
so common that qUinine stood on the ia
Die like salt, and was shaken into the
coffee as regularly as the sugar. There
was also the "brskebOne" fever, which
was the equivalent of a jumping tooth
ache multiplied by 10000
The Texas capitol now building at Aus
tin was acquired by legitimate slight
of-hand trick that should prove a warn
ing 10 the most self-COntident Yankee.
The state wanted the finest
parliament house on American soil and
1t hadn't any money. 1t gave Chicago
syndicate 3 900, 900 acres of idle land TO
build 4 100000 capitol Then the
state commenced taxing the syndicate's
land, and every time the land took a
Jump in value, up went the taxes, too.
Meanwhile, 1000 workmen were toiling
on the monster red sandstone structure
which was to be finished by January,
1890, On the day that its completion
ConSummates the great transaction an
electric lone star will blaze above the
brow OF star-eyed Goddess of Liberty, !
81 feet from the ground. It will over
top any capitol building in the states, and |
az peerless work of architecture will |
hold its own against Albany, or even |
Washington.
In illustrationo f'the financial prosperity |
Of Texas The Professor stated that there |
was bank in Bolton, some of the stock /
holders of which were Boston men, !
which was paying % per cent. The nee
eSsary equipment for going to TexGs, ne !
said, was to be wide awake and sharp;
but though the people were progressive |
they did not "Worry or fret" and there |
was no jealousy among men in the same
line Of business. The snake stories which |
had been circulated to the detriment OF |
Texas were cruel exaggerations; ne had |
seen but one snake since he had been
there. There were centipedes, which !
would not hurt one if one did not hurt !
them; and tarsntulas, which were of
sterner stuff, and would Jump ,three-
some Of the natives said ten-feet to get
g bite of human flesh. There were also
warrior" ants, but these he had found
harmless.
Professor Rowe went to Texas from
Sedalia, Mo. When he started to go, his
friends in SedaliG advised him to say
nothing when he got there about the war,
TO be nOn-commlttaI on politics, and to
be particularly "mum" as regards his
hsiling from Boston. The first Texan
question that was propounded to him
was: Where did you come from? He
was "mum," and said SedaliG. The msn
had somehow learned that he was BOs-
tonion, and appeared greatly cast down
with disappointment at being told that he
wss Sedalian. The Texans forgave and
forgot. j. W. Throckmorton, who loudly
voted "No!" on the ordinance of seces-
sion in the Legislature of 1861, and was
Kissed from the galleries, was elected
Governor of the state as soon as ever the
wsr was over. Wnen their children
asked about the war the Texans replied:
. That was our quarrel; it has nothing to
do with you"